The country’s national public broadcaster – long known for hosting characters like Big Bird, airing documentary series such as those produced by Ken Burns, and programs including “All Things Considered” – is facing its most significant challenge in almost six decades due to President Donald Trump’s directive to cut federal funding.
Legal battles appear unavoidable as the leaders of PBS, NPR, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting indicated on Friday that they believe Trump’s directive is unlawful.
“We will strongly uphold our mandate to deliver crucial news, vital information, and critical support services to the people of America,” stated Katherine Maher, President and CEO of NPR. “We will contest this executive order through every possible avenue.” At PBS, her peer Paula Kerger commented that Trump’s directive was clearly illegal.
The public broadcasting system was established in the late 1960s with the aim of serving as an educational and community-focused option compared to the commercially-driven networks present then. According to his directive, Trump claimed that this system had grown politically skewed and was now outdated.
Currently, the media landscape offers an abundance of varied and inventive news choices,” the president stated in his directive handed down shortly after midnight on Thursday. “Providing government funds for news organizations in such a setting is not merely obsolete and unwarranted but also detrimental to the perception of editorial autonomy.
The emphasis is on news, however, there might be additional victims.
Trump’s order concentrates on news, and between PBS’ “NewsHour” and a robust reporting corps at NPR, that’s an important part of their operations. But public broadcasting also has entertainment programming, educational children’s shows and Burns’ historical documentaries.
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR) receive approximately $500 million annually in public funds routed through the non-profit Corporation for Public Broadcasting. About 70% of this amount is allocated directly to the 330 local PBS affiliates and 246 NPR member stations.
On average, PBS says 15% of its stations’ budgets come from public funding. But there are wide variations; stations in larger markets usually get more money through philanthropy and fund drives, while smaller stations depend much more on the government.
In addition to President Trump’s directive, Congress has also been deliberating over potential adjustments to the financial support provided to public broadcasters. Meanwhile, the Federal Communications Commission is scrutinizing the attempts made by these organizations to secure sponsorship from corporations, noted Josh Shepperd, who authored the 2023 publication “The Shadow of the New Deal: The Triumph of Public Broadcasting.”
It’s a multifaceted approach that demonstrates considerable astuteness regarding institutional dynamics,” Shepperd stated. “This initiative isn’t solely focused on eliminating programs they disapprove of; instead, they’re targeting the operational systems and foundational structures necessary for broadcasting such content.
A cascading impact can occur and might be confined to one area.
Trump’s order instructs the CPB and other government agencies to “cease Federal funding” for PBS and National Public Radio and further requires that they work to root out indirect sources of public financing. Separate from the CPB grant, for example, PBS gets a grant from the U.S. Department of Education for programming that helps build the reading, math and science skills for children age 2 to 8, particularly in poor areas.
The administration’s proposal could spare your cherished programs from harm since Burns receives significant backing from corporations and philanthropists — however, it might still affect local content and future expansion opportunities, according to Shepperd.
Republican members of Congress expressed some of their concerns regarding public broadcasting to Kerger and Maher.
at a public hearing in March.
These types of grievances have persisted for many years; however, media outlets have managed to dodge budget reductions largely due to congressmembers not wanting to risk being blamed should a local station cease operations. After all, who would like to be the government figurehead credited with terminating “Sesame Street”?
Additionally, public pressure from constituents is reduced since many Republicans do not tune into PBS or NPR, noted Tim Graham, who directs media analysis at the conservative Media Research Center. “Each morning during my commute, I make it a routine to listen to NPR,” he stated. “And then I end up yelling at the radio.”
For many years, Graham’s team has published reports highlighting instances they claim demonstrate bias towards conservative voices. As an illustration, over an 18-month span concluding last November, his research team documented 162 occurrences where PBS journalists or contributors referred to certain politicians as “far right” or used similar terminology, compared to just six cases labeled as “far left.”
He stated that he isn’t aiming to close down these stations, but opposes them from getting public funding.
“Let those who hear it provide the funding,” Graham stated.
Concerns about bias are being treated with seriousness, according to officials.
During a board meeting on Friday, CPB President and CEO Pat Harrison stated that her organization has been taking bias concerns very seriously. They have boosted funding for factual local journalism initiatives and granted financial support to NPR so they can implement modifications within their newsroom aimed at tackling bias-related problems.
The legal battle concerning public broadcasting is underway. Earlier this week, the president announced he had dismissed three out of the five remaining CPB board members—jeopardizing its capacity to function effectively—and was
immediately sued
by the CPB to halt it.
This executive order represents another step by Trump and his administration to use federal authority to restrict or impede organizations whose activities or perspectives they disagree with, especially concerning media entities.
Since assuming his position again in January, Trump has removed several leaders, put employees on administrative hold, and halted hundreds of millions of dollars in funds allocated to artists, libraries, museums, theaters, and similar entities through various takeovers.
the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
And the National Endowment for the Humanities. Trump has additionally proposed withholding federal research and educational funding from universities.
punish law firms
Unless they consent to do away with diversity initiatives and other actions he finds disagreeable.
The action targeting PBS and NPR occurs as Trump’s administration endeavors to dismantle the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which includes entities like Voice of America.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
, intended to mirror autonomous journalism worldwide in communities where the media is censored.
These initiatives have encountered resistance from federal courts, which have decided in certain instances that the Trump administration might have exceeded its jurisdiction in withholding money allocated to these organizations by Congress.
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AP congressional correspondent Lisa Mascaro also contributed to this report. David Bauder covers media for the AP. You can follow him instead.
http://x.com/dbauder
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David Bauder, from The Associated Press
